Proposal for bigger boost in school district discretionary funds draws only 2 votes, 6.5% boost passes 20-0
For the Operations division of the public school budget, both competing proposals in the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning included a $5 million increase – a 66 percent increase – for classroom technology next year, vs. the $11 million increase recommended by Gov. Butch Otter; and 3 percent raises for classified staff. The differences were in the increase for discretionary funding.
Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, proposed a 6.5 percent increase in discretionary funds to school districts, which would bring operational funds per support unit to $22,868; Senate Education Chairman Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, seconded her motion.
Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, proposed bringing discretionary funds back up to $25,696 per support unit – the same level they were at in 2009, and a 14.7 percent increase from this year. Rep. Phylis King, D-Boise, seconded his motion. “Three-day weekends are not a good lesson plan for our kids, and no district ought to have four-day week in the 21st century because of lack of funding,” Gannon declared. He noted the difference between the current funds per support unit – roughly per classroom – and the 2009 level. “he reason it’s lower now is that we as a state have grown,” he said. “We have added 817 support units since 2009, and this part of the budget does not include a consideration of that.”
King said, “I think it’s time to move the kids to the front of the line. Voters are supporting schools, but state funding still lags. … This is a sensible budget with the increase in support units.”
Mortimer countered, “It’s also important that we have something that’s sustainable. This is a substantial commitment to our districts and to discretionary and operational spending.” Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, argued for the Horman-Mortimer motion. “We clearly place a priority on our K-12 public system, and the original motion is clearly a substantial growth in the budget and recognizes … the priorities that we have. And it’s a responsible budget,” she said.
Plus, Keough said the four-day weeks in Idaho school districts aren’t all bad. “Although there are people that have concerns about that, also having one of those districts in my legislative district, the majority of the community has come to see some advantages to that for teachers and teacher preparation time, for students and the opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities. And it really has ended up being embraced. And many students and parents and teachers talk about some opportunities they hadn’t thought up that have added what they see as value to the educational experience for all concerned.”
The Gannon-King motion then failed on a 2-18 vote, drawing only the support of its two sponsors. The original motion then passed on a unanimous, 20-0 vote.
